DO YOU NOT YET SEE OR UNDERSTAND?
Frequently Jesus encountered a lack of
understanding when He taught lessons of truth. The ways of God are, after all,
quite different from the ways of man (Isa. 55:8-9). Jesus’ emphasis, the very
heart of His message, was often lost on His hearers, even His disciples. We
would, therefore, do well to take a closer look at the heart of the message of
the Christ.
MATTHEW 16:5-12—THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES
1. Often we
look earthward when Heaven should be our target (Col. 3:1-3).
2. Sometimes
our earthbound ways need a strong rebuke—we need to snap out of it .
3. Jesus spoke
of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
4. They had
reduced God to a set of largely human rules and had, in a practical sense,
stripped Him of His power (Mk. 7:1-13; 12:18-27).
5. When God
comes to be seen in our limited human ways, a powerless icon of our own
self-absorption, we indeed need to “beware.”
LUKE 18:9-14—HUMILITY
1. Measuring
ourselves by ourselves instead of by God is dangerous business (II Cor. 10:12;
Matt. 5:48).
2. Such
behavior reduces prayer to an exercise of talking to ourselves.
3. God first
looks at the heart (I Sam. 16:7; I Chron. 28:9; cf. Matt. 19:16-22).
4. A
struggling, humble servant is more precious to God than a self-righteous
rule-keeper.
5. God opposes
the proud, but He gives grace to the humble (Jas. 4:6).
MARK 3:1-6—HARDNESS OF HEART
1. If we
conclude that God’s laws are primarily designed to promote a harsh,
sanctimonious, view of others, we have made a terrible mistake (Jn. 3:17; Matt.
9:10-13, 36-38; 12:1-8; Rom. 2:24).
2. Harsh
treatment is reserved for those who practice self-righteousness while looking
down on others (Matt. 23:1-39).
3. Forbearance
for the humble is the way of Christ (Eph. 4:1-3; Jn. 8:1-11).
MATTHEW 10:32-39—LOVING LOYALTY
1. Jesus
expects that we love Him with a love above that for all other loves.
2. Even family
and friends must not garner our first love.
3. Simon
learned this lesson the hard way (Jn. 21:15-19).
4. A widow
shows us the way (Mk. 12:41-44).
5. Love and
loyalty must be combined if we are to please our God (I Cor. 13:1-3; Jn. 14:15;
II Cor. 5:14-15).
Do we always live with the God of the
Bible or sometimes with one we have made up to suit our own desires? Is God’s
power really allowed to work in our lives? Does humility characterize the
person we are at our core? Might hardness of heart have embittered us toward
others? Is there a loving loyalty to God in us that cannot be hidden?
Edwin
3/11/01
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